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Immortal
"They were here before you were born. They'll be here when you're old and grey. When your bones are dust and the sky falls, they will be here on that day." -''Children's rhyme The Immortals, or the Undying, or Ageless Ones are a group of ancient creatures that have existed as far back as history has been recorded on Soi, possibly longer. These sources also indicate that some of them have been behind the rise and leadership of many of Soi's most prominent civilizations, while many more exist in secret, hiding away from the world. Many nations openly claim Immortal leadership, though many smaller nations are skeptical. Myth and legend surround them whenever they appear and follow them wherever they go. Some immortals are worshiped as gods. The Immortals' response has been everything from amusement, to encouraging this worship, to rejection. The Immortal-led nations' history claims that the Immortals led the development of Soi from the dawn of civilization, shaping the people, culture, flora, and fauna over centuries. * No one truly knows where the Immortals come from. * Their number has been estimated at around 100-151 individuals spread across the surface of Soi. * Immortals can have offspring with humans, however the offspring share none of the invulnerability of the parent. __TOC__ Known Immortals Ordered by home nation, from west to east. * The Princess * The Great Engineer * The Phoenix * The Truest King * The Faceless Emperor * The Fire God * The Bard * The Stargazer Rumored Immortals * Father Green * The Knights of Red and White * The Director * The Eternal Warrior * The 14th Councilmember * The Warden * The Hermit * Hand of Life/Hand of Death Immortal Nations The Immortal civilizations from east to west. * The Circle - Built by several immortals who no longer rule directly. * Kushan - guided by the Mother. * Broken Kingdom - Kings convene council with Truest King annually. * Woag - Openly worship the Eternal Warrior. * Mamutok - Openly worship the Stargazer. * Ashed City-States - Rumored to be guided the 14th Councilmember. * Tallet Empire - Openly ruled by their God emperor. * Goran - Openly worships and ruled by the Fire God. Immortal biology '''Appearance' The Immortals have the physical appearance of human beings in the prime biological state of their life, usually between the mid-20's to mid-30's in age. They do not appear to age. The Immortals' ethnicity appears to be somehow linked with the mortals that they spend most of their time around, however the reason for this effect is still unknown. Some Immortals appear as normal humans; other appear as ab humans or even unique mutated versions of the human strain. Invulnerability The living cells of the Immortals to all accounts cannot be harmed in any way. This indestructibility does not appear to apply to cells that naturally die such as the dead skin layer, hair, sweat, saliva, or other bodily fluids. Their cells still respond normally to toxins and poisons that do not cause physical damage to cells, such as alcohol or capsaicin. Immortals can feel the full effects of stimulants, depressants, or hallucinogenics without long-term damage. Immortals can still feel pain, thirst, hunger, and temperature. While Immortals cannot be harmed, they can still gain and lose muscle mass and adipose tissue. Most attempts to study Immortal biology have been fruitless, since it is impossible to get a look at their interiors. Immortal Insanity "Mostly these days I just bide my time until someone can figure out how to kill me." ''-The Stargazer during a depressive episode Immortals can, and often do, suffer from mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, PTSD, phobias, and many others. The most common disorder in Immortals is narcissism, enforced by their physical superiority to the people surrounding them and the constant worship as gods or kings. Many Immortals will slip into states of inconsolable depression, due to seeing everyone they love die and not being able to die themselves. They engage in strange habits and it is unknown if these are leftover traditions from the ancient days or if they are suffering from dementia. Threats to Immortals While the Immortals are invulnerable to harm, they are not invincible to threats. Immortals face danger from getting trapped, captured, or exposed to the elements. '''GodCatchers' Bounty hunters and slavers will mostly avoid the undying as they are notoriously difficult to catch as they have centuries of experience and often know how to stay out of trouble. Certain specialists that focus on the capture of Immortals are referred to as "GodCatchers". These people, while they will take mortal bounties, will drop all current pursuits to chase an undying bounty due to the extremely high price they can fetch in slave markets. GodCatchers use specialized weaponry often designed to ensnare targets such as nets, chain weapons, or weapons designed to knock targets unconscious so they may be restrained and easily transported. * NorthGuard pays massive bounties for Immortals to be mind broken and used as indestructible "tool caste" servants, however they will make anyone who captures the 14th a wealthy, high-ranking wielder caste. * The Tallet Empire will pay an enormous bounty for any captured Immortal to be brought immediately to the Ivory Tower. Torpor While immune to harm, Immortals are not immune to some of the more mundane properties of the physical, human form. Their muscles can atrophy and their brains can shut down temporarily if enough blunt trauma is applied, though they will suffer not long-term effects. Immortals, when starved of calories, water, or oxygen can fall unconscious for extended periods of time, however their bodies will attempt to wake up despite the lack of energy input. This effect is called torpor or the endless sleep. They can be brought out of torpor by external stimuli or by random intervals of wakefulness. As they cannot die, Immortals starved of oxygen or calories are constantly on the edge of consciousness and can either choose to surrender to the torpor or fight for every second of being awake. The body is attempting to shut itself down, but is unable to. * Immortals in torpor are in a very weakened physical and mental state. * Immortals deprived of sleep but not calories are just as physically strong but mentally hindered. * Getting trapped under avalanches, rocks, snow, wells, or canyons are the most common causes of torpor. * Some Immortals intentionally invoke torpor so they may sleep centuries away if they become tired of the world. This is undesirable and inadvisable as it is constantly drifting in and out of consciousness while the body is attempting to die of starvation and dehydration but unable to. The Amir For reasons unknown, the Amir were disbanded and declared enemies by all of the great nations towards the end of the Immortal War. It was rumored that they were behind the disappearance of of several Immortals previously attributed to the Faceless Emperor. * No Immortal captured by the Amir has ever been recovered. * Knowledge of the Amir's operations is considered forbidden knowledge. *